Narrative:

After landing on runway 7R we were told to hold short of runway 7L at F13. (Another company aircraft was holding short of runway 7L at F11 and another carrier was holding short at F12). Tower cleared the other 2 aircraft to cross runway 7L and then cleared us to cross and to contact ground control. As we were crossing runway 7L my first officer contacted ground with the phrase, 'company flight number cleared runway 7L at the end for spot X.' ground told us to 'hold short of the next intersection, and give way to the airbus.' this had us holding short of taxiway east with our aircraft still on the runway side of the hold short line. Frequency congestion was such that we were unable to query ground control if they wanted us to technically be across the hold short line. Quickly the airbus had advanced to a point that prevented us from moving forward. Another company aircraft did depart runway 7R while we were across the hold short line, but with a 10000+ ft runway, was of no consequence to our safety. Ground had apparently confused our aircraft with the company aircraft that had cleared at F11 who was in a position after clearing to give way to the airbus on taxiway east. I believe that ground control was momentarily overwhelmed with 3 aircraft crossing a runway almost simultaneously and, perhaps did not have an optimal visual perspective of the situation.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737 CLRING RWY 7L AT PHX IS ISSUED GND CTL CLRNC THAT DOES NOT ALLOW FOR COMPLETE RWY EXIT AS LCL CTL ISSUES TKOF CLRNC ON SAME RWY.

Narrative: AFTER LNDG ON RWY 7R WE WERE TOLD TO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 7L AT F13. (ANOTHER COMPANY ACFT WAS HOLDING SHORT OF RWY 7L AT F11 AND ANOTHER CARRIER WAS HOLDING SHORT AT F12). TWR CLRED THE OTHER 2 ACFT TO CROSS RWY 7L AND THEN CLRED US TO CROSS AND TO CONTACT GND CTL. AS WE WERE XING RWY 7L MY FO CONTACTED GND WITH THE PHRASE, 'COMPANY FLT NUMBER CLRED RWY 7L AT THE END FOR SPOT X.' GND TOLD US TO 'HOLD SHORT OF THE NEXT INTXN, AND GIVE WAY TO THE AIRBUS.' THIS HAD US HOLDING SHORT OF TXWY E WITH OUR ACFT STILL ON THE RWY SIDE OF THE HOLD SHORT LINE. FREQ CONGESTION WAS SUCH THAT WE WERE UNABLE TO QUERY GND CTL IF THEY WANTED US TO TECHNICALLY BE ACROSS THE HOLD SHORT LINE. QUICKLY THE AIRBUS HAD ADVANCED TO A POINT THAT PREVENTED US FROM MOVING FORWARD. ANOTHER COMPANY ACFT DID DEPART RWY 7R WHILE WE WERE ACROSS THE HOLD SHORT LINE, BUT WITH A 10000+ FT RWY, WAS OF NO CONSEQUENCE TO OUR SAFETY. GND HAD APPARENTLY CONFUSED OUR ACFT WITH THE COMPANY ACFT THAT HAD CLRED AT F11 WHO WAS IN A POS AFTER CLRING TO GIVE WAY TO THE AIRBUS ON TXWY E. I BELIEVE THAT GND CTL WAS MOMENTARILY OVERWHELMED WITH 3 ACFT XING A RWY ALMOST SIMULTANEOUSLY AND, PERHAPS DID NOT HAVE AN OPTIMAL VISUAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE SIT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.